Motion Planning Software Engineering Intern, Summer 2027

Location: Palo Alto, California Department: Internships

About Wing

Wing offers drone delivery as a safe, fast, and sustainable solution for last mile logistics. Consumer appetites for on-demand services are increasing, but current delivery methods are inefficient, costly, and contribute to road accidents and air pollution. Wing’s fleet of highly automated delivery drones can transport small packages directly from businesses to homes on-demand, in minutes. We design, build, and operate our aircraft, and offer drone delivery services on two continents. Our technology is designed to be easy to integrate into existing delivery and logistics networks, offering a scalable drone delivery solution for a broad range of businesses. Wing is a part of Google's parent company, Alphabet, and our mission is to create the preferred means of delivery for the planet. If you're ready to do the greatest work of your life, come join us.

About the Program

Join Wing's 12-week paid summer internship! This is a hybrid, in-person program based in Palo Alto, CA, with start dates in May or June. Eligible candidates must be a current student enrolled in a degree program and intend to return to the program after the completion of the summer internship.

About the Role

Wing is looking for a Motion Planning Software Engineering Intern to join our Pathfinder team based in Palo Alto, CA.

We are looking for Engineers with Software Engineering and Path Planning experience to contribute to the development and continuous improvement of a system that safely flies thousands of autonomous aircraft every day around the world. Developing and fielding this kind of large-scale production path planning system is a challenge that you find both humbling and exciting. You enjoy developing systems from concept through production, and you have an eye for crafting practical solutions that run reliably on real-world systems. You will work in a multidisciplinary environment with direct access to our guidance, navigation, and control engineers and backend engineers.

In this role you will

Create innovative aircraft path planning and trajectory generation solutions that enable new flight capabilities for our fleet of autonomous delivery drones.

Build the simulation, analysis, and testing tools required to validate your algorithms against flight logs from Wing's commercial fleet.

Have the opportunity to see your software fly on physical aircraft during flight testing, taking algorithms from simulation to real flight dynamics.

Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams, including Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC), perception, and flight software.

Gain hands-on experience developing safety-critical robotics software deployed on a commercial autonomous drone delivery fleet operating at scale.

What You’ll Need

Currently pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, graduating between December 2027 and August 2028

Strong examples of previous engineering experience through prior internships, university lab research, robotics competition teams, or technical projects.

Academic or project experience applying algorithms to path planning, navigation, or spatial search problems.

Programming experience in C++ or Python.

Solid foundation in data structures, algorithms, and software engineering principles.

Passion for aviation, drones, or related technologies.

The US base salary range for this internship position is the salary range below + benefits. Wing’s salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process.

Salary Range

$128,000—$135,000 USD

Wing is an equal opportunity employer and it is Wing's policy to comply with all applicable national, state and local laws pertaining to nondiscrimination and equal opportunity. Employment at Wing is based solely on a person's merit and qualifications directly related to professional competence. Wing does not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding), or any other basis protected by law.

If you have a need that requires accommodation during the interview process due to a disability or special need, please let us know by completing our Candidate Accommodations Request Form.